Safety actuator for firearms



June 21, 1955 G. c. BENT, JR

SAFETY ACTUATOR FOR FIREARMS Filed Nov. 17, 1952 4 Gordon 6. Bent, JI:

IN V EN TOR.

W nn; B

SAFETY ACTUATOR FOR FIREARMS Gordon C. Bent, Jr., Green Bay, Wis.

Application November 17, 1952, Serial No. 320,963

1 Claim. (CI. 42-70) This invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in safety devices for portable shoulder firearms and theprimary object of the present invention is to provide an actuator forthe cross-bolt safety of a firearm, whereby the cross-bolt may bereadily moved to its off position by the thumb of the users trigger handwhile the users trigger finger is inside the trigger guard restinglightly on the trigger and the other three fingers in shooting positionon the grip of the stock.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide apivotal lever attachment for firearms having an angulated endterminating in a cam that will ride against the cross-bolt safety of afirearm as the lever is pivoted, to move the cross-bolt to its offposition.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a safety devicefor firearms that includes parts that will replace the assembly pin andsafety button of a firearm to permit a more convenient actuation of thesafety than was heretofore possible and which safety device may beremoved and replaced by the normal assembly pin and safety button whendesired.

A still further aim of the present invention is to provide a device ofthe aforementioned character that is extremely small and compact instructure, efiicient, and durable in use, inexpensive to manufacture,and other- Wise well adapted for the purposes for which the same isintended.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in'the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a fragmentary perspective view of a firearm and showing thepresent invention mounted thereon;

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the lever depressingthe safety to an off position;

Figure 4 is an enlarged front elevational view of the lever used in thepresent invention;

Figure 5 is an enlarged view, partly in elevation and partly in sectionshowing the lever attaching pin; and

Figure 6 is an enlarged elevational view of a conventional trigger platepin which is replaced by the pin of Figure 5 when the lever is attachedto the firearm.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose ofillustration, there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the numeral 10 represents a firearm having a trigger guard 12with a transverse cross-bolt safety accommodating aperture 14 thatreceives the novel cross-bolt safety of the firearm.

nited States Patent 0 2,711,043 Patented June 21, 1955 The trigger plateand its components (trigger, trigger guard, hammer, etc.) is fastened tothe receiver 10 by factory installed front trigger plate pin 15 and reartrigger plate pin 16.

The present invention involves a novel cross-bolt safety 18 that isslipped in the aperture 14 to replace the normal cross-bolt safety ofthe firearm. One end 20 of the crossbolt or pin 18 is tapered, this endbeing the one that is pressed to move the cross-bolt to its offposition.

A lever forming strip 21 is bent at one end portion to extend toward thetrigger guard 12 and the strip 21 is formed with a countersunkenaperture 22 adjacent its lower angulated end 24 that receives the headof fastener 16. The end 24 terminates in a bent rounded lip or cam 26for riding against the tapered end 20 of pin 18. The upper end 28 ofstrip 21 fixedly supports an outwardly projecting conical lug 30 thatmay be engaged by a user's thumb.

In practical use of the present invention, the upper end of lever 21 isdisposed rearwardly at the time the pin 18 is disposed with its taperedend 20 exposed as shown in Figure 2 and by full lines in Figure 1. Auser having his trigger finger on the trigger of the firearm may pushthe upper end of the lever 21 forward with his thumb engaging lug 30, sothat cam 26 rides against end 20 to move the pin 18 to its releasing oroff position illustrated in Figure 3 and by dotted lines in Figure 1.

In order to permit the lever to be attached to the firearm, the rearnormal trigger plate pin 16 is replaced by a pin 16a slightly largerthan pin 16 and having a threaded recess 17 at one end accommodating ascrew 19 that extends through the aperture 22. Pin 16a is slightlylarger at one end 16b than pin 16 so that when the lever 21 is swungforwardly to ride against the beveled end of the cross-bolt, the stressapplied to pin 16a will not cause pin 16a to be pulled through thereceiver 10. The pin may be readily removed and replaced by the normalpin 16 if desired.

What is claimed as new is:

In a shoulder firearm including a horizontally reciprocable cross-boltsafety positioned in a transverse bore in the upper end of the triggerguard and having a tapered end normally projecting from the side of thetrigger guard, an elongated strip forming a lever having a centralportion pivotally secured to one side of the firearm above the safety, alower angulated end on said strip extending under the firearm towardsthe trigger guard and terminating in a cam for selective engagement withthe tapered end of the safety, and a projecting tapered lug on the upperend and outer surface of said strip for engagement by a thumb formanipulation of said lever and safety, said angulated end positionedadjacent the trigger whereby a trigger finger may contact said angulatedend for determining the position of said lever and safety.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,225,583 Blizard Dec. 17, 1940 2,233,504 Young Mar. 4, 1941 2,379,946Baker July 10, 1945 2,387,669 Loomis Oct. 23, 1945 2,595,834 Fleenor May6, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 370,275 Germany Mar. 1. 1923

